Ok. I finally got the damn cable replaced, and thought I would share my experience as there has been limited info online, and maybe this would be helpful. I wish I had the foresight to take pics, but I was too busy cussing at my truck...

This is all coming from the perspective that my cable snapped at the pedal. If your cable did not snap, trust me and take the time to hold the cable tension at the pedal with a drill bit or screwdriver. This will become a pain later if you don't. O, and also this was on a '99 XLT, 2.5L, 5 speed MT.

1st disconnect the front cable from the middle cable under the truck right under the driver seat. The cable is wedged into the connector pretty good, but some WD-40 and prying got it lose. Then you have to disconnect the front cable "sheath" from the hole in the frame it attaches to. You will have to do this inside the cab as well.

Next was to remove the control assembly (pedal) from the cab. This proved to be more difficult than anticipated. There are three bolts (not two as some other websites suggested), and a little bolt for the brake sensor in the very back. The first bolt is in the bottom back by the floor. Second is at the top front just under the dash (This bolt didn't have enough clearance from the dash panel for my ratchet so I elected to use a hand wrench as opposed to taking the dash apart). Third bolt is in the back at the top of the assembly and I could only reach it with the pedal pushed down and a very long ratchet extension. By far the worst one to get in and out. You also have to remove the bolts holding the brake release to the dash.

Now that the assembly is unbolted, you have to remove the cable "sheath" that the cable runs through. It attaches to the bottom of the assembly by prongs that poke out of the top. These prongs have to be compressed inward for the sheath to fit out of the hole it the cable assembly. I made the mistake of using pliers to try and squeeze them down and it caused one of the prongs to get stuck open. Eventually I just had to brute force rip the thing off. If you are more careful (unlike me) you can use 1/2 inch ratchet over the top of the sheath to push down the prongs.

Next is the fun part. The rubber stopper in the floor that the cable comes through is part of the cable sheath and has to come out (as mentioned above). There is really no good way to do this. I used vice grips, a lot of WD-40 and dish soap, and even more tugging and cussing. Managed to break it free after about an hour.

Now you have to get the new cable attached to the pedal and maybe get the old broken bit of cable off the assembly. Because of the automatic tensioner built into the assembly, this task can be difficult and I recommend a helper. If you put the assembly upside down, you can see some gear teeth. This is the tensioner and it is tightly spring loaded. The pedal needs to be in the "up" position like it would be if the parking brake is not engaged. Now, with the assembly upside down we had one person use a large screwdriver to push the gear inward while the other person held the assembly (a vice is recommended). When the tensioner is pushed all the way in, there is a hole on the side of the assembly that is just flat metal. Put something in there to hold the tension (drill bit, screwdriver, etc).

While the tensioner in this position, the old cable can be easily pulled out. The new cable must be thread through the assembly properly first (attach the new sheath to the hold in the bottom and run the cable up over the pulley from the bottom of the assembly. There is a little metal "window" that the cable must fit through so don't miss it). Push the little metal bead into the hole that the old cable was in and you are done. At this point I released the tension, but I'm not sure if that was required.

Now you have to put the pedal back in. This should be pretty self explanatory as the installation is the reverse of removal. The only hitch was getting the new rubber stopper back through the firewall with the assembly attached. This was once again a WD-40/Dish soap and brute force task. It'll fit but it might take a while.

Finally you need to make sure that the cable sheath is properly reattached under the car. If you kept the tensioner in position you can then just reattach the front and middle cables afterward and release the tension. Otherwise you may have to do a little tugging to make it work. Make sure that the front cable sits properly in the connector. Its a tight fit, so mine didn't want to sit in there right away. Pressed the brake down a few times and tugged on the cable a bit to be sure it was all the way in there.

I think that's it. Hopefully nothing was missed and that someone finds this useful.

This sounds like it holds the solution to my problem. I've replaced the R.S. cable and the intermediate cable on my 99 4x4 supercab as well as redoing the rear brakes. There's almost no holding power, I guess because of the tensioner issue. How do I go about "retensioning" the cable after the fact? Can I do it with the pkg brake pedal assembly in place or does it have to be done on the bench vise and then reinstalled?

Hello- and sorry for bring this thread from the dead.
My cable failed the same way. I have all the parts off the truck except for the connector on the end of the first segment. How do I get that cable end out of the connector?

I'm thinking that'll probably be drilled out but like SO MANY THINGS on this truck there is usually a simple trick. Like the quick disconnect fuel lines.

Thanks in advance.
My 2001 16v has 240k miles... looking to add a few more.

UPDATE- The connector under the truck came off pretty easily with my portable work table to hold it and a drift punch.

Follow up to this front e-brake cable replacement. Using Kenny B and Ranger Dads suggestion and photo. I screwed the pedal assembly to a piece of 2x8 with screws and body washers and locked it with big nail. I didn't have anyone available to hold it for me so this worked great. That gear in under a lot of tension so be careful.

Last edited by scobie9966@gmail.com; 04-10-2018 at 10:08 PM.
Reason: typo's

Hi, New Guy here. Have a parking break that just will not stay down. nada. Dosen't even make any noise. But it will stop the truck so the cable is attached. After reading the hard time you folks had replacing the assembly, which sounds like something do'd never have to do again,... Is there a spring or a bolt that came undone that I need to search under the seat for??? Has anyone tried a rebuild on this?

Like you said, not a whole lot of on line info. Went looking for a diagram of the assembly and came up empty. Will let you know if I find one though. This week I'll make time to call Ford and see if they'll part with one.

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COLDHAM,, 2001 BASE MODEL RANGER + w/ a 7ft bed, 5 SPEED. I tow it behind my 2001 Alegro Buss and the license plates are on digit off from each other.